Adherence issues related to sublingual immunotherapy as perceived by allergists

Objectives: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a viable alternative to subcutaneous immunotherapy to treat allergic rhinitis and asthma, and is widely used in clinical practice in many European countries. The clinical efficacy of SLIT has been established in a number of clinical trials and meta-analyses. However, because SLIT is self-administered by patients without medical supervision, the degree of patient adherence with treatment is still a concern. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perception by allergists of issues related to SLIT adherence. Methods: We performed a questionnaire-based survey of 296 Italian allergists, based on the adherence issues known from previous studies. The perception of importance of each item was assessed by a VAS scale ranging from 0 to 10. Results: Patient perception of clinical efficacy was considered the most important factor (ranked 1 by 54% of allergists), followed by the possibility of reimbursement (ranked 1 by 34%), and by the absence of side effects (ranked 1 by 21%). Patient education, regular follow-up, and ease of use of SLIT were ranked first by less than 20% of allergists. Conclusion: These findings indicate that clinical efficacy, cost, and side effects are perceived as the major issues influencing patient adherence to SLIT, and that further improvement of adherence is likely to be achieved by improving the patient information provided by prescribers. © 2010 Scurati et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd

Social Network e apprendimenti informali nei contesti scolastici

We present here the structure and some outcomes from the Sonna project (Social Network e Nuovi Apprendimenti). The project is designed to study the impact of on-line social media (S.M.) environment on learning processes of young and adult, in schools and professional environments. The research first phase is focused on the use of S.M. in everiday life and some promising models to understand their impact on learning. In the second phase field experimentation are conducted in schools and professional environments throughout an on-line research platform designed and developed specifically for this research. The last part of the research will be focused on the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to validate the hypothesis and models defined in the beginning

Social Network e apprendimenti informali nei contesti scolastici

We present here the structure and some outcomes from the Sonna project (Social Network e Nuovi Apprendimenti). The project is designed to study the impact of on-line social media (S.M.) environment on learning processes of young and adult, in schools and professional environments. The research first phase is focused on the use of S.M. in everiday life and some promising models to understand their impact on learning. In the second phase field experimentation are conducted in schools and professional environments throughout an on-line research platform designed and developed specifically for this research. The last part of the research will be focused on the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to validate the hypothesis and models defined in the beginning

Social Network e Nuovi Apprendimenti

SIlopcrioagl eNtetotwSoorkciaelNueotwvioArkppereNnudoimvieAnpti,pSrenrgdioimAenngtoir(i,SLOorNetNtaA) Fnabsbcrei, Pacolmo Reavuionloa, CrliacuedricoaM-ienltaecravrenen,toValeonrtiiennatMatuacciaresllti,udiare Ul’inmivperastitàodidSeiei nsaocial network sui processi di apprendimento personali e organizzativi all’interno di due contesti: socio- sanitario e scuola. In questa ricerca, l’impatto è interpretabile come il cambiamento empiricamente rilevabile che viene a generarsi nel momento in cui all’interno di una comunità (in questo caso di professionisti o di studenti) viene introdotto un nuovo artefatto tecnologico. Il primo step è stato quello di predisporre strumenti utili ad analizzare le pratiche di costruzione della conoscenza esistenti e gli usi quotidiani che i diversi soggetti coinvolti nella ricerca fanno dei social media. Il secondo step è quello di sperimentare l’interazione tra diverse piattaforme all’interno di unità formative e progetti finalizzati a co-costruire la conoscenza intorno ad un problema concordato con le comunità coinvolte nella ricerca. Per la raccolta dei dati è stata utilizzata sia l’infrastruttura tecnologica che i questionari e le interviste